1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to displays and, more particularly, the present invention relates to interactive display surfaces.
2. Background Art
Leisure and entertainment destinations, such as theme parks and destination resorts, for example, are faced with the challenge of offering attractions that are desirable to a diverse general population in an increasingly competitive environment for securing the patronage of on-site visitors to recreational properties. One approach with which theme parks, for example, have responded to similar challenges in the past, is by diversifying the selection of attractions available to visitors. By offering a variety of attractions of different types, and even among attractions of a similar type, presenting those experiences using different themes, a wide spectrum of entertainment preferences may be catered to, broadening the potential appeal of the recreational property.
That this approach to meeting a variety of entertainment preferences has historically been successful is evidenced by the enduring popularity of Disneyland, Disney World, and other theme parks as vacation destinations. However, the advent of programmable portable entertainment products and devices, and the high degree of sophistication of the virtual recreation environments they support, have substantially raised consumer expectations concerning the level of real-time interactivity required for a recreational experience to be deemed stimulating and desirable. Moreover, the almost limitless variety of entertainment options made possible by modern electronic devices have raised public expectations regarding the level of personal selection and entertainment customizability to new heights as well.
As visitors to theme parks and other entertainment destinations begin to impose some of these heightened expectations on the attractions provided by those recreational locales, those properties may be forced to offer an ever greater variety of experiences in order to continue to provide the high level of entertainment satisfaction with which they have traditionally been identified. One conventional strategy for meeting that challenge is to increase the number and to continue to diversify the types of attractions provided on-site by a recreation property. Due to cost and resource constraints, however, there is a practical limit to how many distinct on-site attractions a single entertainment destination can support.
As a result, and in the face of greater consumer demand for real-time interactivity and individual choice, it may no longer suffice for an entertainment destination to offer a universal on-site experience to be commonly shared by all visitors, regardless of how artfully selected or designed that common experience may be. Consequently, in order to continue to provide the public with a high level of entertainment satisfaction, entertainment destinations such as theme parks may be compelled to find a way to provide real-time interactive experiences using their on-site attractions, as well as to utilize a single attraction venue to support a variety of distinct interactive experiences.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a solution enabling a user, such as a visitor to a theme park, to enjoy a real-time interactive experience from an on-site attraction. Moreover, it is desirable that the solution further enables the enhancement or customization of the real-time interactive experience to provide the user with a variety of distinct interactive experience options from a single on-site attraction venue.